“With a lovely tone, sophisticated lyricism, and a wonderful sense of swing, Ben Powell plays swing through modern ears, relishing the genre he “self-discovered” after solid training in classical violin.” – jazz.com (Tanglewood Jazz Festival, 2009)

Ben Powell has already lived a couple of musical lifetimes during his 24 years - and in some ways, he’s just getting started. His abilities as a multi-stylistic violinist have allowed him to perform with some of the world’s greatest artists, irrespective of musical genre: from such pop and jazz icons as Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Gloria Estefan, Stevie Winwood, Philip Bailey and Rosa Passos to internationally famous classical conductors, including Sir Roger Norrington, Marin Alsop, Yan Pascal Tortelier and Keith Lockhart. He’s performed at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the BBC Proms, and he’s as familiar a presence at international jazz festivals and live music clubs as he is in the world of Early Music and the classical concert hall. As a performer, recording artist, composer and ambassador for string jazz, Ben continues to pursue and fulfill his many musical aspirations with direction and vigor, making his personal contribution to the ever-evolving world that is music today.

A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, Ben had the opportunity to study alongside jazz greats Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner and Dave Liebman. But Ben’s journey to Boston from his hometown of Cheltenham, England started with classical music. While performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in his final year of high school, Ben performed under Keith Lockhart, Music Director of the Boston Pops Orchestra. On discovering Ben’s ability as a jazz violinist, Mr. Lockhart put Ben in touch with Berklee. By 2006, Ben was studying there on scholarship. In keeping with his love for both classical and jazz music, Ben joined the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra under Benjamin Zander soon after arriving in Boston, allowing him to perform classical repertoire at a professional level while pursuing his jazz studies at Berklee.

Quickly gaining a reputation as one of the leading jazz violinists of his generation, Ben has recently led his jazz projects in performances at (among others) the Vancouver, Victoria, Tanglewood, Salem, Berks, and Cheltenham International Jazz Festivals. Within the last six months he has led sold-out debut performances at both Scullers Jazz Club (Boston) and the Sunset Jazz Club (Paris). Ben has led his projects in live performances on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, WGBH (Boston) and KCSM (San Francisco) radio to name a few. The Ben Powell Quartet is also a frequent musical guest on the popular National Public Radio word game show ‘Says You’.

Later this year, Ben looks forward to recording his second jazz album featuring him in trio with vibraphonist Gary Burton and guitarist Julian Lage, in addition to his work with his Boston/NYC based quartet of violin, drums, piano and bass. The new record will result in many return festival and concert appearances, along with new touring opportunities after its release in early 2012.

2010 saw Ben record his debut CD with the Hotclub of Norway in Oslo, Norway (soon to be released on Hotclub Records). The disc showcases Ben’s love for the Manouche Gypsy Jazz music of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. Ben recently resided in Paris for five months playing and performing with gypsy jazz legends Biréli Lagréne, Tchavalo Schmitt, Didier Lockwood, Costel Nitescu, Stochelo Rosenberg and Florin Niculescu among others. Before returning to Boston, Ben performed with the famed gypsy jazz group the ‘Rosenberg Trio’ and guests including American saxophonist James Carter at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Hall in Montreal. Stephane Grappelli’s influence on Ben’s playing is unmistakable, and performing in the Hotclub style is his personal celebration of Grappelli’s style - and his own contribution to the current worldwide revolution of gypsy jazz.

As a recording artist, Ben enjoys playing on a wide array of projects every year – most recently on jazz pianist Cedric Hanriot’s recent release ‘French Stories’ alongside drummer Terri Lyn Carrington and bassist John Pattitucci.

In early 2010 Ben was selected to participate as a scholar at the 2010 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program held at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Here, Ben had the opportunity to study alongside jazz greats Dr. Billy Taylor, Curtis Fuller and others while performing regularly at the Kennedy Center with other young jazz musicians selected from around the world. As a classically trained violinist, Ben’s classical influences are ever-present in his jazz playing, allowing him to cross between genres in a way available to very few artists. 2010 also saw Ben begin his collaboration with early music ensemble the Boston Camerata on numerous concerts in the US and abroad, including a tour to France for an appearance at the Classique au Vert Festival.

Drawing upon his classical training and influences to performing jazz on the international stage, Ben enjoys sharing his insights on how to improvise and approach jazz for classically trained violinists. He regularly leads workshops on string improvisation for a variety of ages and ability. He has enjoyed returning annually to run jazz workshops with the Little Deleware String Ensemble in Oneonta, NY and the Cotswold Suzuki Group, UK.

In the summer of 2006 & 2007, Ben joined Jordanian pianist and composer Zade Dirani and his ‘Roads to You’ world music ensemble for performances across the United States. In addition to performing, Ben was involved in many musical outreach efforts in cities across the US, involving school presentations and house concerts. Through his work with ‘Roads to You’, Ben had the privilege of meeting and performing for First Lady Laura Bush and Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. He also had the great honor of meeting ‘The Champ’ Muhammad Ali in recognition of his musical outreach efforts in the city of Louisville, Kentucky.